Discordia
Beginnings Long ago, when the world of Aetherius was created, another was created along with it. This other world was called Discordia. Each one was not seen by the other, and for what seemed like eons, their existence seemed entirely secreted. The only passage to either world lay through Worldgates, various doors that allow for travel between the two. 18 of these gates littered the world in secluded locations, and now, only one remains. Only one lies untouched. For quite some time, humanoid species lived in seclusion in both worlds, with some false sense of harmony. With the exceptions of human and elven species, the worlds of Discordia and Aetherius are vastly different in species, plant life, and culture. With those differences, though, life for the species of Discordia progressed quite a lot like the world of Aetherius, with governments being formed, and new land being discovered. Then, a great many years ago, a calamity struck Discordia. In the center of the Ocean of Wrens, something terrible had happened. A great force of dark magic was unleashed, it's power unstoppable by even the gods themselves, The sea turned black and sickly, as thick as blood. As the dark water slowly seeped its way towards the five continents and the many small islands therein, it killed all in it's path. But it did not stop there, the very soil was tainted, tendrils of black creeped their way through forests, plains, over mountains. and it did not stop until the entire world was engulfed in black. The world was no longer suitable to sustain life, in fact all that came in contact with this energy died or mutated into something evil. This energy however, did not find it's way through the air, So these islands remained pristine and untainted. The people were forced to adapt or die, fueling a great revolution of metal and steam. Metal, was one of the few materials that were less affected by the power of the dark magic. Though many simpler metals such as Iron would become brittle and crumble, there were few, more complex metals that remained unaffected by this energy. Of these were Brass, Copper, Carbos, and Black Steel. Many machines were built to filter what they could, and to keep people out of contact with the natural ground. But eventually it was no use. Food could not grow from steel. Water could only be filtered so much... It was then that they discovered another option. They found new places to live, called motes, places that the dark energy had not touched. These motes are much like demiplanes, only they take a physical form, seen as miniscule stars in the sky above Discordia. Using strong amounts of sorcery, portals were able to be made that took some of the population to these motes. Many people did not seem to care where they went, as long as they got away from tempest. Some even went to the elusive Shadow Sea, the only known Water Mote in existence. These places could only support so many people however, so many battles were fought and many people died, even more people were damned to remain in Tempest, thus many of the elderly and sick were abandoned. Now, these motes have set up strongholds, and are holding out against the dark, hoping to reclaim Tempest and destroy the source of the Dark Energy. The Parthus Many people were forced to live with people they would otherwise kill. This lead to several insurgencies and factions. Perhaps the most famous of which, was the Parthus. What started out as a small group of Dark Elves eventually turned into a large elven coalition, and they became known individually as Partheon, They sought to retake the lower world back, and push away the darkness, but instead, they became one with it. Their elven blood had a unique affect with the dark energy that did not kill them, but changed them. For worse, or for better,it is not easy to tell. Their magic seemed to become stronger, as did their physical might, but they became more aggressive, almost ferocious. They lost the ability to focus on delicate things such as art and music, and became almost warlike. But they were able to at least maintain contact and trade with the other races but would not, and perhaps could not, live and thrive with them. They have many small footholds of the last remaining purity on the lower world. But these places are little more than keeps and camps and cannot support large numbers of people... at least not yet. It is this that they seek to correct. Rise of the Blacksteel Giants It wasn't long after the people fled to the motes that a sect of Rune Giants decided to spread their borders. These giants have also been trying to live with the dark energy coursing through the veins of Discordia, but they would not see it cleansed, in fact they used it to fuel their own contraptions, and recycled the dark energy into the air. This would cause a problem, if this was to go on it would eventually doom the Motes to the same fate, and without the resources traded from the Motes such as food and water, the Parthus would never find a way to cleanse Discordia. The group of Rune Giants who engineer the machines are known as the Blacksteel Giants. It did not take them long to move their headquarters to a place known as the Killing Fields in the heart of Northern Tempest. This spot is a cesspool of the dark energy, because it is a 'stopping point' for the tendrils that creeped in from the sea from all directions, a place where it mingles and forms death pools. This is what attracted the Blackmetal Giants to this place, for it is an endless source of the energy that fuels their machines. Factory "Sinapse" is the code-name for their headquarters which rests in this dire place. They managed to create some kind of generator here which absorbs the dark energy that they have come to call "Black Matter". With it they built many war machines and have began to build a city for their race on the surface, Pagos Lambda. It is unknown for what purpose they continue to build weapons and war-machines, but in addition to these, they have also built other machines. One of which is the Blackforged. Using the bodies of those they captured they have managed to create advanced organic beings. These Blackforged were designed with limited AI and are primarily used as mechanics, shock troops, and entertainment, but as of late, they seem to be more populous. The Blacksteel Rebellion Years passed as the people of Discordia continued to try and make a life on the motes, but the air is thin, the space is limited, and they continue to grow. Many "Oxa Factories" were built to try and sustain the living conditions necessary for the people to thrive, but even now, with these factories that duplicated and produce oxygen and water, young are born with defects due to the low availability of these things. It wasn't long before a young upstart would come up with the idea of forming some kind of rebellion to fight back and join the Parthus in their mission to retake the lower world. His name is Myer Coffers, a field marshall in the local law enforcement. Though he has many supporters he is constantly on the run from Sir Granville Aldridge III, the mayor of Gravenhague. Many theorize that Mayor Granville is some how tied to the Blacksteel Giants but there is no proof of this. However, he is very keen on sacrificing the sick, the old, and the poor in favor of the survival of the rich, and many of the supporters of Myer Coffers tend to be lower class. However this does not stop Myer from his goals, nor does it deter him. Even now he is seeking soldiers for his plans to assist the Parthus in retaking Discordia. The Blackforged Insurrection The Blackforged eventually managed to improve their A.I. capabilities. They began to create their own cities in the underworks of Pagos Lambda. At first, this did not alarm the Blacksteel Giants, as this was expected, and would enable them to perform more complex tasks and form a work-ethic. Though unable to breed normally, The blackforged did find a way to create the concept of children by splicing their DNA to form homunculi, but these homunculi never lived longer than four years. This era was recorded as the "Deepdark Depression" in their annals. Surprisingly the Blackforged did manage to keep these "children" secret from the Blacksteel Giants, and whenever new Blackforged were thrown into Skrap, their undercity, many blackforged would fight over the rights of adding it to their family. The Blackforged always elected a Luminary to run Skrap every year, and one year everything would change for their people. This was the year Elder Loughnan was elected. He was one of the first Blackforged to be created and was in many ways defective, but he had time for his A.I. to develop to unfathomable depths. He saw his people suffer longer than any other Blackforged. Between homunculi deaths, punishment by the giants, and people dying in the pit fights to claim new Blackforged, he knew something had to be done. He spent years trying to perfect homunculi conception and was the foremost expert, but even his expertise was not enough to form permanent "children" those that he did create eventually succumbed to the Black Matter. To perfect his research he knew the Blackforged had to leave this toxic waste and when he heard about the Blacksteel Rebellions from his masters, he had an idea. Under his leadership the Blackforged rose up against the Blacksteel Giants, and though many of them died, many more managed to escape, their size in comparison to that of the giants allowed for them to escape into tunnels and eventually find their way to the Parthus camps. At first, they were attacked, thinking they were some kind of warriors sent by the giants, but when they finally realized that they were escapees, they were still unsure. If not for the inside information the blackforged had, the Parthus would have never accepted them into their keeps. In exchange for the information they were offered a choice. Warriors and other solitary Blackforged could stand with the Partheos and help them in their efforts against the Black Matter. Or those who seek nothing but a life and a family could be sent off to the motes and given jobs in the factories there. This was the high point in the history of the Blackforged and they accepted this generous offer, and thusly the end of the Deepdark Depression. However, even now, the Homunculi Process is not perfected, as Elder Loughnan died in the insurrection, his assistants are still hard at work, but they have managed to create homunculi and turn them into Blackforged, with unevolvable A.I. Even now they continue to work hard in these efforts.